Friday, May 4, 2018

Seven University of New Orleans Students Named UNCF Koch Scholars, Receive Scholarships
Totaling $140,000

From left, Kayla Daigle, Marvin Kador, Jr., Dominique Scott, Garret McNally and Destiny
Porter are each recipients of a $20,000 scholarship United Negro College Fund’s Koch
Scholars program. James Compton V and Kholbey Reid are also recipients, though they
are not pictured.

Seven University of New Orleans students have been awarded $20,000 scholarships through
the United Negro College Fund’s Koch Scholars program. Dominique Scott, Marvin Kador
Jr., Garret McNally, Destiny Porter, Kayla Daigle, James Compton and Kholbey Reid,
all of whom entered the University as freshmen during the 2017-18 academic year, will
receive $5,000 per year for four years. The highly competitive program supports African-American
college students who are interested in entrepreneurship, innovation and economics.

The UNCF/Koch Scholars Program was launched in 2014 through a $25 million grant from
Koch Industries and the Charles Koch Foundation. The program seeks to foster an entrepreneurial
approach to improving well-being for individuals, communities and society as a whole.
To be eligible for the UNCF Koch Scholars program, undergraduates must be pursuing
a degree in accounting, business, economics, engineering, history, philosophy or political
science. Scholarship recipients are required to participate in an online learning
community and attend an annual summit meeting.

Scott is a civil engineering major and a graduate of New Orleans Charter Science and
Math High School. Her future plans include a master's degree in business and eventually
owning her own company. A graduate of False River Academy in New Roads, La., Kador
is a mechanical engineering major. He hopes to gain some work experience after graduating
from UNO and one day run his own engineering firm. McNally spent most of his childhood
in Belleville, Mich. but finished high school in Winston-Salem, N.C. Inspired by a
lifelong interest in ships, he is now majoring in naval architectural and marine engineering
and plans to pursue a career in that industry. Porter is a history major who graduated
from Wossman High School in Monroe, La., who hopes to one day teach African-American
history to students in the New Orleans area. Daigle is an accounting major from Donaldsonville
High School in Donaldsonville, La., who plans to become a Certified Public Accountant.
Compton is a philosophy major. Reid is an engineering major from Violet, La.

At the University of New Orleans, these students have the opportunity to receive mentorship
from Chris Surprenant, associate professor of philosophy and director of the Alexis
de Tocqueville Project, and will have access to additional resources for taking on
enrichment projects through the Tocqueville Project. For example, students may have
opportunities to initiate community activities that promote entrepreneurship locally
or travel outside the region to attend conferences or participate in other relevant
academic programs.